The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze - The Incredibly Gutsy Ninja
by ULTRA SONIC
Summary: A different take on the Naruto story with a heaping helping of Dead or Alive (and Ninja Gaiden) added to the mix.
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto characters or the Dead or Alive characters. They are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Tecmo respectively.

Author's Note: This fic was inspired by "The Ultimate Tournament" and "Naruto Xtreme 3", both of which were written by Gravenimage. If you haven't checked out those two fics, I highly recommend you do. Although the fics' storyline as a whole has not been finished (and I do hope Gravenimage does get back to it someday), they are both highly entertaining stories and you won't be disappointed if you read them.

* * *

The Tale of Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze

Prolouge

_In this world, there are many stories that become more than just mere stories, and people who become more than just mere mortals within said stories. And in certain parts of the world where individuals known as ninjas live, train, and fight, this principle is still the same._

_And perhaps the story of a man who once saved the entire world (not just the ninja part) from a great upheaval that had arisen long ago is the most well-known story among shinobi._

_This man was known as the Sage of The Six Paths._

_According to the story, this man was a monk who had appeared in an age of endless war. He was the first person to ever understand the true nature of chakra itself and with this knowledge set out to lead the world out of the constant conflicts and into peace. Traveling around the world and spreading his beliefs/ideology, he slowly developed a loyal following. Of course, naturally there were some who believed the Sage to be nothing but a naïve fool with pipe dreams, but then something happened that ultimately changed the naysayer's perceptions…the Jūbi, otherwise known as the Ten-Tails._

_As to where it came from, no one knew at first, but those who had encountered the beast and were fortunate enough to escape it said that it seemed to have a disturbingly foul presence about itself and it seemed to come across as nothing more than a living entity of destruction. Some warrior clans believed it to be another underling created by the Fiends, a supernatural multi-millennia-old race that is consisted of several of demons, undead monsters and other foul creatures descended directly from a malevolent being known as Vigoor, the latter whom said demons were "preparing the way" for his revival. However, once the Sage learned of this and stepped in, he discovered that the Ten-Tails was not a part of the Fiends at all, but rather another entity entirely, and interestingly enough, one of the survivors told the Sage that when one of the Fiends were near the Ten-Tails, the demon had backed away from the latter in sheer terror._

_Realizing that if the Fiends – who were not known for fearing anything except for those who descended from what was known as the Dragon Lineage – were terrified of something whose power could easily surpass their own, the Sage knew that action had to be taken to stop the Ten-Tails, and thus took it upon himself to do so. After what could only be described as an epic battle, the Sage defeated the Ten-Tails. Not only that, but he developed a way to seal its power within himself so it could never threaten the entire world again. As a result, the Sage become an almost god-like figure and was hailed as a savior._

_Despite this title, the Sage himself knew that he was not immortal, and along with knowing that his dream of peace was unattainable in his lifetime, the Sage also knew that the Ten-Tails would be unleashed on the world once the former died. So using one of his many abilities, the Sage created nine living constructs of chakra out of the Ten-Tails' own, and encased the latter's body within a gigantic stone prison and hurled it into the sky far beyond the heavens, where it would then become entombed within the moon itself (although some have claimed that the Sage created the moon to imprison the beast)._

_Knowing that his end was drawing near, the Sage called all the chakra constructs (whom he called bijū, or tailed beasts) together and told them that while his time on Earth was coming to an end, he did reassure them of one single promise._

"_I'm afraid I don't have much time left in this world…however, even though my end is coming, there is still one last thing I wish to impart to all nine of you…Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Gokū, Kokuō, Chōmei, Gyūki, and Kurama…even though you have been separated and have your own respective name, there will come a time when all nine of you shall become one entity again, different from before, and you will be shown a righteous path by someone, not a path of darkness. When that time comes, you will then understand what true strength _really_ is. However, until then…"_

_The Sage never seemed to finish his sentence, only with a slight but still warm smile across his now-elderly face as he looked at all of the tailed beasts as a father would look to his beloved children, feeling emotional himself as he saw a tear fall down the face of Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox, who tried to stay strong emotionally but could not._

_Shortly after, the Sage then entrusted his dream of peace to his only two sons, each with their own respective gifts inherited from their father. Knowing he could only choose one successor and not both, the Sage on his deathbed chose his youngest son due to the latter's belief that love was the key to peace, as opposed to the elder, who believed in power as the key. Unwilling and therefore unable to accept his father's decision, the elder son attacked the younger, sparking a feud that would sadly continue all throughout the ages, and the tailed-beasts themselves would find themselves to their own devices for many generations to come, having no desire to involve themselves in the two brother's feud (namely on the elder son's end)._

_Relieved that the Ten-Tails was dealt with once and for all, the Fiends wasted no time in trying to consolidate power for themselves once again and stir up trouble on occasion as they prepared for the coming of Vigoor. However, much to their dismay, the warriors from the Dragon Lineage (some of whom had been students of the Sage for a time) would always rise to stop them whenever that happened. Not only that, but they also had to deal with occasional encounters from the tailed beasts, namely Kurama, who was able to easily detect places where excess malevolence would occur. Many of the Fiends cut their losses and fled whenever they encountered any of the bijū, but some were foolish enough to fight the tailed beasts anyway, believing them to be nothing but mere shadows of the Ten-Tails' power. Needless to say, it was the last mistake said Fiends would make, since Kurama (as well as all the tailed beasts) easily disposed of them._

_Once that happened, the Vigoorian Emperor then considered tracking down the creatures (namely Kurama) and tempt it to fight by his side, but quickly dismissed that idea, knowing full well that it would be futile and Kurama would just level their entire Empire into nothing._

_Centuries passed, and the Sage's existence soon passed into history and myth, and even the tailed beasts to some extents. However, their existence was anything but a myth, and in some ways, their power was highly coveted, and eventually Kurama found itself as an unwilling pawn in a longstanding power struggle between two ninja clans of a hidden village. First time was under the control of Madara Uchiha, a shinobi from a clan descended directly from the Sage's Elder son. Then shortly after, Kurama was sealed away into the wife of Hashirama Senju, the latter's clan being direct descendants from the Sage's younger son. Having been mostly indifferent to humans before, now Kurama was developing a great deal of resentment towards them due to it being subjugated against its will via Madara and now being denied any freedom of any kind. The fact that its own brethren were eventually captured by Hashirama as well and then given to all the other hidden villages as a way to maintain the balance of power didn't even bother the fox, since the latter kind of looked down on them due to their number of tails, which signified their strength (something the Sage had rebuked Kurama for several times in the past)._

_Although sealed away, Kurama was still conscious of its surroundings but still spent most of its time sleeping and occasionally peeking out through its jinchūriki's mind._

_When it wasn't resting, the fox would occasionally wonder what its now late father-figure meant in regards to meeting someone who would show them a righteous path, for as far as the fox could tell, no human it had seen thus far fit the description._

_And when it was re-sealed within another kunoichi who was also from the same clan as Hashirama's wife, Kurama's mindset still hadn't changed one bit._

_However, all this changed when its second jinchūriki became pregnant with her first son. Although the fox saw this as its opportunity to finally break free (and it more than took that chance), what it didn't realize was that its own life, as well as the life of a certain infant child born that night, had now become entwined._

_As to what this meant for the tailed beast and the infant boy, it was too soon to tell, but one thing was certain: both of their lives, as well as those they had yet to meet, and the entire world (not just the ninja world) would never be the same._

_Not only that, but a new story – one that future generations would come to call an epic that transcended all others, including that of the Sage of The Six Paths' – had now begun…_


	2. A Godfather's Duty

Chapter 1 – A Godfather's duty

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, and one of the Legendary Sannin, was silent as he heard his former teacher and now reinstated Sandaime (Third) Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi finish his tale about what happened after the Kyuubi no Yoko (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox)'s sudden attack on Konohagakure no Sato (The Hidden Leaf Village) and what the Sannin's own student/apprentice, the Yondaime (Fourth) Hokage Minato had done to stop the creature's rampage. Since Jiraiya had been away at the time of the attack, he didn't know what had gone on, but when one of his messenger toads and a scroll-toad named Gerotora found him (each with something important for him – the messenger with an urgent message from Sarutobi, and Gerotora with a very important item), Jiraiya quickly stopped with his then-current "research" and made his way to Konoha as fast as he could. When he got there he found the entire village in complete disarray. Already blaming himself for not arriving sooner to help, Jiraiya then headed straight to the Hokage building (which fortunately, had not been damaged during the Nine-Tails' attack), where his teacher then told him what happened.

"So where are Minato and Kushina's respective bodies now?" Jiraiya asked after being quiet for a few moments.

"They're being treated for burial." Hiruzen replied gravely.

The Toad Sage then got up and walked over to a corner of the room where a small makeshift crib was put out with a newborn infant sleeping peacefully inside it. At a glance, the child looked like any other healthy baby boy, but if one looked closer, one could see six distinct whisker marks on the baby's cheeks as well as an intricate seal on his tiny stomach.

"So Minato sealed the Kyuubi in his own son?"

Hiruzen nodded.

_Not even a few weeks old, and already you got a heavy burden placed on you, gaki._ Jiraiya thought.

"I still can't see how this could have happened, even with what you said sensei." Jiraiya said. "Minato was practically our village's best Seal Master (more so than me, and also thanks in no small part to Kushina) as well as Hokage. _That_, along with having Biwako-sama, Taji-san, and a few of the other ANBU with him and Kushina…I'm really having a hard time trying to see how anything could have gone wrong."

"You're not alone in that, Jiraiya." Hiruzen said as he remembered after the Nine-Tails was sealed away, he and several ANBU went to the place where Minato and Kushina had gone along with Biwako and their ANBU guards for Naruto's birth and found the place completely destroyed, along with the bodies of Biwako, Taji and the ANBU, or…what was left of them.

"And the worse thing is that I fear it wasn't some random accident."

"How so?" Jiraiya asked, his face at complete attention.

"When the medic-nins studied the bodies of the ANBU guards, they found traces of chakra-enhanced physical trauma on their necks." Hiruzen said as he reached into his desk and pulled out an autopsy report, which he then gave to the Toad Sage.

"Caused by the wreckage when the Nine-Tails broke out?" Jiraiya wondered, stopping halfway from reading the report.

"No." Hiruzen replied. "The injuries were far too precise for them to be from mere rubble and shrapnel. The only way the ANBU could have gotten injuries such as those would be from someone who knew how to inflict those kinds of injuries."

"But how could anyone get past the security you had set up for Minato and Kushina? And just as important, how could any shinobi have known _where_ Kushina was going to give birth?"

"That's what I've been trying to find out." Answered the elderly Hokage. "As much as I would like to believe that it was just some mere accident and that the Nine-Tails was able to escape even with all the safeguards we had in place…what I've managed to find says otherwise."

"But that still brings us to what I had wondered before: how could any ninja be able to pull all this off? You'd have to have someone on the level of Madara Uchiha to be able to pull a stunt like this."

"Indeed." Hiruzen said with a tone in his voice that wondered about that "fact". Even when he was a Genin Hiruzen had heard all about the infamous battle between his first teacher Hashirama Senju and the then-leader of the Uchiha clan that had happened at the place now known as the Valley of the End (Final Valley for short). Although Hashirama had won, Madara's body was never recovered. And while it could be easy to assume that there wouldn't be anything left of Madara _to_ recover, there was always the belief that if there was no body, then there was still a chance that said opponent could still be alive. Whatever may have convinced Hashirama to believe that Madara was either dead or dying after the battle, Hiruzen did not know, but now…with recent events, and given Madara's own history, Hiruzen was really beginning to wonder…

Not only that, but when Sarutobi had spoken before, Jiraiya caught on to the tone in his teacher's voice, and right then, was beginning to wonder the same thing himself.

"Sensei," Jiraiya began. "You don't think that…?"

"Jiraiya, I think we can both theorize all we want, but with no hard facts, we can't be certain of anything." Hiruzen replied to his student as he then walked to the crib. "Besides, for the moment…until we get all the pieces to this puzzle, the only thing we can do right now is ensure Naruto's well-being."

"No doubt." Jiraiya agreed as he and his sensei watched vigilantly at Naruto.

"Just before he died, Minato requested that Naruto be seen as a hero who helped defeat the Nine-Tails." Hiruzen said. "He also said that as long as Naruto is okay, the Nine-Tails is forever denied its freedom."

"But I'm guessing the villagers aren't taking those words to heart, are they?" Jiraiya asked.

"No, I'm afraid." Hiruzen replied with a sad sigh. "Shortly after I made Minato's request known, the people wanted to have Naruto killed, believing that by doing so, they would be rid of the Nine-Tails for good (even though many don't know that the creature would eventually revive itself at some point down the road). Fortunately, I have had my ears and eyes open for anyone suspicious, and I've had round-the-clock security guarding Naruto."

"But you can't keep that up forever." Jiraiya pointed out.

"That's why I sent for you." Hiruzen said. "I know according to Minato and Kushina, you were named Naruto's Godfather."

_That I was._ Jiraiya thought as he nodded in confirmation. "To be honest sensei, I was kind of hoping it would be more in the capacity of a godfather/surrogate uncle who drops by every now and then."

"We don't always get what we ideally want Jiraiya." Hiruzen said wisely. "But I believe you will do fine. Besides, you were the best teacher Minato ever had growing up and the closest thing to any real father figure he had, since he never knew his own parents."

"Plus, the fact that he had enough faith in you to look after his and Kushina's son despite your tendency to 'research' women for your Icha-Icha books should definitely say something."

Jiraiya was almost tempted to retort by saying that Hiruzen was one to talk, since the latter read those books too (and how Biwako never caught him was something the Toad Sage admired about his former teacher), and that wasn't even counting Sarutobi's vigilance on the adult female section of Konoha's bathhouse from the Hokage crystal ball back in the day before he married Biwako, which the Toad Sage already knew about.

_But…could I really help look after the kid?_

As Jiraiya was pondering this, the door knocked, to which Sarutobi answered, only to reveal an ANBU with the latest report.

"So this is the final count of the deaths from the Nine-Tails' attack?" Sarutobi asked as he took the report and started reading it.

"Almost," Replied the ANBU. "There's still one missing."

"What's that?"

"This." Finished the ANBU as he opened his hand, revealing a flash-bomb which blinded both Hiruzen and Jiraiya. Taking advantage of this, the ANBU then drew a kunai as he made his way to the crib where Naruto was sleeping.

_You may be denied your freedom, but at least once the vessel is gone, there'll be nothing left of you at all. Although…I do wonder why the Fourth chose some random orphan to imprison you in, but no matter._

The ANBU had not taken one step when he suddenly found his hand in an iron-clad grip, which only got tighter by the second. As the would-be assassin looked to where the grip was coming from, he saw and felt the killing intent coming from the Toad Sage himself.

"Take one more step, and it'll be the last step you take." Jiraiya promised as he tightened his grip even more.

"Why…are you…trying…to protect…that…monster?" Asked the imposter with a strained tone in his voice.

Jiraiya then twisted the guy's wrist to the point where one could hear joints and bones breaking, which caused the man to scream in pain as he dropped his kunai and fell to his knees, clutching his arm. The noise then got the attention of the ANBU that were outside and they then headed inside only to see Hiruzen trying to get the blindness out of his eyes and the Toad Sage standing over an injured ANBU.

"If by monster you mean the Nine-Tails, that thing is already sealed away. It's not going anywhere. Now, if you're referring to the child…you might want to take that comment back right now, especially if you want to have at least _one_ working arm." Jiraiya warned.

"That monster nearly destroyed our village, and killed our Hokage! It has to be dealt with, and it has to be dealt with now!"

"Maybe I wasn't being clear before," Jiraiya said sternly as he picked up the man with one arm and lifted him up in the air. "The Nine-Tails has _already_ been dealt with. My protégé already made sure of that at the cost of his own life! So if you didn't trust your Hokage's ability, let alone what he made clear in his final moments, then you _really_ have my pity."

"Take him away for questioning." Hiruzen ordered the ANBU as they then grabbed the assassin and took him out of the room, leaving the Toad Sage and his former teacher alone with Naruto once again.

"Still doubt you can look after the boy, Jiraiya?" Hiruzen asked his student.

Jiraiya looked at his teacher, and then to the crib where Naruto was sleeping before coming to a decision.

* * *

It didn't take very long, but in due time, Jiraiya, Naruto, Gerotora and several other toads were already at Jiraiya's house. It was pretty quaint and well out of the more urban areas of Konoha, but to the Toad Sage, that was just the way he liked it.

Plus, the fact that the back of the house gave Jiraiya a good vantage point to a waterfall where kunoichis were known to bathe and swim in only made it sweeter. (And he never had to worry about said kunoichis spotting him)

In regards to needing supplies for Naruto, Jiraiya assured his sensei that he would take care of everything himself. After all, being a writer as well as a legendary shinobi had its advantages, especially if one was an author of a certain adult book series that was quite popular in all the Elemental countries of the shinobi world, and even in the places outside of it, including the Western parts of the world.

After buying some baby supplies in a Konoha market via Henge (Transformation jutsu), Jiraiya then went to work making sure Naruto was fed well before sleeping, as well as the usual things like making sure Naruto had a clean diaper and everything else. Once he was certain Naruto was okay and sleeping soundly, he then stepped outside his house to speak with Gerotora.

"So is the little tadpole sound asleep?" Asked the scroll-toad.

"Yeah, he is." Jiraiya replied with a nod. "So what did Minato want you to give to me anyway?"

"This." Gerotora answered as he stretched his body up, to which his torso then began to unfurl itself like a scroll, revealing a set of symbols and a seal very similar to the one on Naruto's stomach.

"It looks like…a seal-key." Jiraiya noted.

"That's because it is." Gerotora replied. "Minato wasn't able to explain the whole thing to me, but from what he _did_ tell me, and from what I've been able to gather myself, it's the key to the seal Minato used to imprison the Nine-Tails within Naruto."

Jiraiya then remembered looking closely at Naruto's seal earlier when he arrived at his house and had noticed that the seal was made up of two Four Symbol (Double Tetragram) Seals on top of each other, with a central spiral symbol completing the seal, creating the Eight Tiagrams Sealing (Eight-Signed) Seal.

_Your wife may not have been a fūinjutsu expert, but she clearly knew who could use her clan's jutsus to their greatest extent._ Jiraiya thought as he remembered seeing Kushina show Minato her clan's jutsus on occasion. Although Kushina was not the most studious kunoichi in Konoha (in fact, she wasn't studious at all, period), she did catch on to things pretty quickly when she wanted to, and surprisingly enough, she knew how to be able to teach Minato her clan's sealing jutsus, which was kind of ironic given how Kushina was as an Academy student.

"Did Minato tell you anything else?" Jiraiya asked.

"No. Only to reach you as quickly as possible once I received the seal-key." Gerotora replied.

As he studied the key Jiraiya found himself deep in thought. Although he knew that the seal Minato used on his own son was probably the best if not _the_ definitive seal for keeping a bijū imprisoned, the Sanninstill couldn't help but wonder as to why his late prodigy would create a key used to either strengthen or weaken a seal meant to keep the Nine-Tails at bay.

_Unless…_

Coming to a realization, Jiraiya studied the key again – this time, more intensely – before asking Gerotora to close up the scroll, which the toad did.

"You're lookin' a little intense there, Jiraiya." Noted the scroll-toad. "What's up?"

"Just realizing something Sarutobi-sensei told me earlier." Jiraiya said as he recalled what his mentor told him what Minato did to re-seal the Nine-Tails…

* * *

"He used the Death-Reaper Seal on that thing?" Jiraiya asked, shocked.

"Yes." Sarutobi replied. "Although for what purpose I do not know, because from what is known about the Nine-Tails, its chakra reserves are so high that it would be nigh impossible for anyone to seal away _all_ of its power, even for a Seal Master like Minato. But from what I saw, Minato _was_ able to seal away part of its chakra, thus weakening it somewhat, and then sealing the rest into his son."

* * *

_I know I've always said that it's never fun training a genius, but it's good to know that you Minato, were always the exception to that rule._ Jiraiya thought as a smile began to spread across his face.

"Come on Jiraiya!" Exclaimed Gerotora. "You're keepin' me in suspense here! What's the deal?"

"I think I know now why Minato sealed the Nine-Tails into his son after sealing away part of its chakra, and why he created this key." Jiraiya said. _And I can only hope the chakra he sealed away in the Shinigami was the Yin type._

"Why?" Gerotora asked, still not having any clue what Jiraiya was realizing.

"He intended to have Naruto master the Nine-Tails' power."

"What? That's crazy!" Gerotora said, half-tempted to laugh. "Now I may be young, but even I know that that's practically impossible! No jinchūriki out there has ever been able to master a bijū's power completely!"

"Actually, I wouldn't go that far." Jiraiya said. _Especially if what I got from my spy network regarding someone over in Kumogakure (The Hidden Cloud Village) is anything to go by…_

"It's still practically undoable." Gerotora argued. "The only way to deal with a tailed-beast is to jail it."

"Then why did Minato go through all that trouble of permanently sealing away what I'm guessing was half of the Nine-Tails' chakra and sealing the remaining half within his own son and entrusting the key to you to then give to me?" Jiraiya asked.

"Minato knew something of grave importance, something that he wasn't able to tell Sarutobi-sensei, and if the time from when he was a Genin under my charge to when he became Hokage is anything to go by, I know for a fact that he wouldn't have done anything without a good reason behind it." Jiraiya continued.

_Although why he never tapped into the Clan Restoration Act and have his teammate Mikoto Uchiha as one of his girlfriends/future wives _along_ with Kushina boggles my mind, but that's neither here nor there._

"I think you're reading just a little too deep into this." Gerotora said.

"Maybe," Jiraiya conceded. "But I knew Minato all too well to believe otherwise. Plus, given what sensei also told me about the injuries on the bodies of the ANBU guards…it's just too much of a coincidence to think the Nine-Tails' breaking out of Kushina's seal and attacking Konoha was just random chance."

"Who do you think might have been responsible?" Gerotora asked, already beginning to catch onto the Sannin's thinking.

"Honestly, I don't know." Jiraiya said. _Although I know sensei had a theory or two about that, and so do I._

"But like I said before, Minato knew something of importance, and he knew Naruto was going to need the Nine-Tails' power for that specific _something_. And while I don't know what that is, I am not going to dispute Minato's decision, especially if it _had_ been some rouge shinobi that caused all this."

"But you're not expecting the tadpole to do all that _now_, are you?" Gerotora asked.

"Gerotora, I may be a super-pervert and a goofball on occasion, but I'm not stupid." Jiraiya said seriously. "Naruto's only an infant, so in no way is he going to be able to harness the Nine-Tails' power right now, but I believe in due time he'll be able to. But for now, I think it's best if we safeguard the key until we need it."

The Toad Sage then gestured to his mouth, to which Gerotora took his cue and hopped in, disappearing as he did so.

_Even now, I still can't get used to that._ Jiraiya thought as he quickly reached for some water to get the gag feeling out of his mouth. After which he then stepped in and check in on Naruto one last time.

_I know this isn't how you wanted to be brought into the world, gaki._ Jiraiya thought as he looked at the crib. _But I promise you have someone who's gonna look after you from here on out. I know I'm probably not the ideal candidate to look after anyone, but Minato and Kushina insisted that me being your godfather was a very good thing. Plus, if you're anything like Minato and Kushina were, then you won't just be another great ninja, but like your parents, you _will_ stand out. In fact, I think that, like your father, you'll be someone that will inspire Konoha in ways that won't just be incredible, but in ways we haven't yet seen._

After a while Jiraiya then walked over to his nearby desk to begin work on a new book based on the research he had been collecting some weeks back. After he managed to get a good first draft written down the Sannin decided to turn in for the night, but just before he did he then took one last look at Naruto's crib, which then triggered a memory from when he visited Minato and Kushina many months back…

* * *

"_So I guess that makes me his godfather? Are you guys sure about this though?"_

"_Jiraiya, you're my sensei. You're a shinobi who possesses true talent, and a prime example we should _all_ aspire towards. I can't think of a finer shinobi than you."_

* * *

_Thank you Minato,_ Jiraiya thought. _And don't worry, I'll make sure yours and Kushina's faith in me (and your sacrifice) wasn't for nothing._

And with that, the Toad Sage went to sleep, with a feeling of new purpose and responsibility in a life that had now irrevocably changed.


	3. Growing gains, growing pains

Chapter 2 – Growing gains, growing pains, and travel games

The next couple of years seemed like a blur for Jiraiya and his godson/surrogate nephew Naruto, although at the same time it never felt like there was a moment in a day that was wasted.

However, this didn't mean that the Toad Sage didn't have his hands full, for he more than did, namely during the first few years given that Naruto had proved to be quite the bundle of energy even as a toddler. In fact, it got to where the Sannin had to place guard-seals around Naruto's crib (and room for that matter) so the child couldn't get anywhere Jiraiya didn't want him to (namely near his manuscripts for his Icha-Icha series).

Despite this, Jiraiya learned that instead of peeking at women for "research", he found that he could attract women to him whenever he took Naruto outside, namely when he would head over to the bathhouse. At that point all he had to do was have Naruto near him, summon a toad for his godson to play with and the ladies would come over and just swoon at the sight. All in all, it was a pretty win-win scenario for the Sannin, even with the comedic results from the encounters.

Unfortunately, the whole thing was short-lived for shortly after, word began to spread about how Jiraiya of the Legendary Sannin was looking after "the demon brat" and as such people would start to give Naruto dirty looks and the like. One person even went so far as to call the boy a monster in front of Jiraiya. Needless to say, once the Toad Sage was done with the man, the latter had all of his ribs crushed to gravel, all of his major organs were damaged severely, and to top it all off, he was rendered completely paralyzed. At that moment, the villagers were then reasserted as to why Jiraiya was known as the strongest of the Sannin, despite being a pervert and an occasional goofball.

Upon learning of this Hiruzen then made a decree that no-one under any circumstances was to speak of the Nine-Tails or the fact that the creature was sealed within Naruto, much less whisper of such things, and those who failed to realize that were punished severely.

For Naruto, he had been at first indifferent to the glares, but then as he started to grow up and was becoming more aware of the world around him, he began to wonder why people would look at him like he had the plague, especially since he knew he didn't do anything to them. Jiraiya wasn't sure how to explain it to the boy when he was asked, and as such he talked to his sensei about this. After giving it some thought, Sarutobi said that Jiraiya could tell Naruto about the Nine-Tails when he graduated from the Ninja Academy (for Naruto had once seen his godfather training and having already heard stories of Jiraiya's exploits and whatnot, instantly wanted to become a great ninja like the Sannin and his other hero the Yondaime Hokage were, to which Jiraiya had no problem with. Of course, the Sannin couldn't help but smile at the fact that Naruto was unknowingly idolizing his own father). Relieved that he had something to go on and that he wouldn't have to keep it a secret from his godson forever, Jiraiya then told Naruto that it was because of something that happened on the day of his birth (not by what Naruto did, but because of something else) and that when he graduated from the Ninja Academy he would be told more about it. This frustrated Naruto a bit because he wanted to know right then and there, but the tone in his godfather's voice told him that it was best to just trust him and _not_ argue with him about it, so Naruto went with it and put the whole thing on the proverbial back-burner. However, the glares from people still stung him at times. But rather than just stand there and take it, Naruto struck back the only way he knew how – with pranks. Needless to say, this got the kid into some trouble, and as such Jiraiya had to try and keep Naruto in line discipline-wise (although deep down he applauded his godson's pranking, especially on those who bullied him).

Although Naruto had to deal with a great deal of prejudice, not everyone in Konoha was cruel to him. For one thing, there was the Third Hokage himself Hiruzen Sarutobi, who Naruto came to see as a grandfather-type figure in many ways. Then there was Teuchi and his daughter Ayame, who ran the Ichiraku Ramen restaurant, and both of them were always gracious and kind to Naruto and Jiraiya whenever they would stop by. Needless to say, their genuine kindness and knack for making Naruto's favorite food in the world made the stand one of Naruto's favorite and frequent hangouts, as well as Jiraiya's.

Plus, there was also the Nara, Akimichi and Inuzuka clans, who genuinely honored the Yondaime's last request and were kind to Naruto whenever they would see him, regardless of whether Jiraiya was around or not.

When the Nara clan's head Shikaku first saw Naruto and how the boy was with his son Shikamaru, a sneaking suspicion began to creep up in his mind that Naruto was connected to his late friend Minato in ways much more than just being the one chosen to be the Nine-Tails' jailer. However, the Nara clan-head quickly realized that if his suspicions were true, and that Naruto was in fact Minato and Kushina's son, then it explained why Minato sealed the Nine-Tails in the boy, and why the Third Hokage gave Naruto the last name "Uzumaki" instead of "Namikaze", along with decreeing that no one was to speak of the Nine-Tails at all, lest anyone had a death-wish.

And although Shikaku wisely kept his suspicions to himself, he did wonder why no one else (namely his two other good friends Inoichi and Chōza) was able to put the pieces together and figure out the resemblance between Naruto and Minato.

_But then again, perception _is _reality. And sometimes people only see what they _want_ to see._ Shikaku thought. _But one can only imagine how the women in the village (namely those from the Yamanaka, Hyūga, and Uchiha clans) would react if they knew Minato had a son and it was Naruto himself…_

With Chōza Akimichi and his son Chōji, Naruto found kindred spirits when it came to having an appetite for food, although Jiraiya did have to tell Chōza not to let Naruto stuff himself because many were the times before where Naruto would come home from hanging out with Chōji and would just be bouncing off the walls (both literally and figuratively).

With the Inuzuka clan things were pretty much the same as with the aforementioned clans, although the clan-head Tsume and her daughter Hana noticed that Naruto had a scent similar to that of foxes, but not in an unpleasant way. One time Tsume was asked by a woman as to why she allowed a "demon" to be around her own son Kiba, to which Tsume just tore the woman a new one and said if a person can't tell the difference between a person and a demon, then that person had a problem. Plus Tsume reminded said woman what the Third had decreed, to which the woman reluctantly silenced herself and walked away.

For the most part, Jiraiya felt relieved that at least Naruto was able to play with some of the kids his own age from those three clans, namely Shikamaru Nara, Chōji Akmichi, and Kiba Inuzuka, but unfortunately other kids from other clans/families didn't follow that example (However, the Uchiha clan seemed to be more in the middle with Naruto in the sense where some were friendly to him, others were just indifferent, and then there were some who were just flat-out rude to the boy; while the Hyūga clan pretty much shunned Naruto). However, despite this, Naruto didn't let it get him down too much, for he knew he already had a few people acknowledge him for himself (his Pervy-Uncle Jiraiya having been the first, as well as the Sandaime Hokage), so that helped give him the strength to endure the scorn from people. Plus, Naruto heartily believed that he would win the naysayers over one day, if not now. In addition, the boy didn't hesitate to step up if help was needed, even if he got the short end of the stick as a result. One example was when one of the ANBU guards found Naruto beaten up in a forested area near one of the training grounds. It turned out Naruto had been trying to defend a Hyūga girl from some bullies that were picking on her and got beaten up for it (although Naruto did manage to give as good as he got). When Jiraiya heard what happened, he was tempted to track down the boys responsible and give _both_ them and their parents a what-for, but he realized that even with proof (which could be easily obtained via Jiraiya's own spying and help from Inoichi Yamanaka), the parents would be unwilling to admit that their children were in the wrong in beating up Naruto, plus the kids didn't speak of the Nine-Tails (which if they had, then Jiraiya would have more ammunition to have the bullies punished via Sarutobi), so the Sage grudgingly let it go. However, wanting to make sure he would be there to help Naruto if needed Jiraiya then made a tracking seal and put it on a chain earring, which he then attached to Naruto's left ear. If Naruto needed help, all he had to do was channel his chakra to the seal on the earring and the corresponding seal Jiraiya put on one of his own gauntlets would activate.

Throughout all this, Jiraiya still kept up with his espionage duties and maintained contact with his spy network as much as possible. It wasn't easy, but the Sannin managed, and managed well. And his spying/information-gathering would be needed close to home when it turned out that the Uchiha clan were planning an insurrection on Konoha, a conflict that had started when the three Konoha Elders Danzō, Koharu and Homura had suspected that one of the Uchiha clan members had gotten ahold of the Nine-Tails and used it to attack the village after the Elders had a chance to view the information gathered from what happened on the night of the Nine-Tails' attack. Hiruzen argued against this, for there was no proof that pointed to any of the _existing_ Uchiha clan members, but Danzō pointed out that only a shinobi of the Uchiha's caliber (namely Madara's) would be capable of doing such a thing, and while Madara had been defeated decades ago, Danzō added, who was to say that there wasn't another Uchiha born in _this_ generation with the same potential? With his two colleagues Koharu and Homura supporting him, Danzō moved that the Uchiha clan be relocated to a remote corner of the village so they could be placed under close surveillance. Needless to say, neither Hiruzen nor Jiraiya were happy about this. Itachi Uchiha, the firstborn son to Uchiha clan-head Fugaku and his wife Mikoto, was used as a spy via Danzō's "insistence" so as to keep an even closer eye on the clan. Plus the fact that Itachi was also in the ANBU made him only more of a logical choice. Despite the circumstances Itachi was in, he still kept his loyalties to the village, not to his clan and especially not to Danzō, and fortunately Itachi found that along with the Third Hokage, he had a genuine confidant in Jiraiya with whom he directly shared information regarding his clan's activities, believing in the Sannin's ability (and the Sandaime's) to help discern what was _really_ going on and what the Elders were _perceiving_. As a result, Jiraiya was allowed access to places within the Uchiha compound with Itachi's assistance (except for the women sections of the clan's private bathhouses, much to the Toad Sage's dismay).

When Itachi finally learned of his clan's plans for an insurrection (as well as the fact that his own father was heading it up, along with his own girlfriend being a part of it), Itachi knew action had to be taken immediately. So he met with Jiraiya and Hiruzen and told them what he discovered. Jiraiya then contacted the spy toads that he had placed strategically around the Uchiha compound (with Itachi's help) and learned that not _all_ the Uchiha clan members were involved (Mikoto being among the latter to Itachi's relief), but for those who _were_, it had been as a result of being discriminated and accused of something they hadn't done, to being ostracized not just from the power structure, but from everyone else in the village. Not only that, but Fugaku having a bit of a superiority complex and wanting to elevate his clan to what _he_ felt they deserved only made the coup more of a feasible choice.

No sooner did Danzō hear of this did he call for an immediate eradication of the entire Uchiha clan, to which Itachi, Hiruzen and Jiraiya sent some serious Killing Intent the grizzled war-hawk's way. Itachi believed in peace and justice, but he did _not_ believe in this course of action (and neither did Hiruzen or Jiraiya), and as such suggested that only the guilty parties should be dealt with and the innocent spared, that way even if the Uchiha clan's honor was tarnished (something Itachi hated despite everything), at least those who were innocent in the entire thing would be taking the lead and working to rebuild that honor again. Jiraiya and Hiruzen agreed with the Uchiha prodigy, but Danzō had Koharu and Homura backing him up, and it seemed like a tie for a day or two until Itachi's own mother Mikoto came forward and supported Itachi's decision, to which Hiruzen then made his final choice and ordered that only the ones involved in the coup were to be apprehended, and the rest who were innocent left alone. The ANBU followed through on their orders, and with Itachi's help, Fugaku, Itachi's girlfriend and several others were arrested. However, interestingly enough, Fugaku nor his conspirators resisted arrest.

With the proof provided by Itachi, Jiraiya and Mikoto, Fugaku and his conspirators were found guilty and sentenced to death, but not before Fugaku told his wife Mikoto that despite everything, he didn't judge her or their son Itachi for doing what they felt they had to do, and he also requested for Mikoto and Itachi to take care of their youngest son Sasuke, for he would need them now more than ever before.

After that, the Uchiha were then brought out of the outskirts of the village, where they were then allowed to live their lives peacefully again and try to rebuild their clan's honor and reputation. Danzō had fumed at this, but seeing that the end results were genuinely working out, he stepped off. Although the old war-hawk still threw a subtle insult at his onetime teammate every now and then.

After that dispute, business pretty much went on as usual. And a year before Naruto was to enroll in the Ninja Academy, Jiraiya had a very special plan in store for his godson…

* * *

"Hi Pervy-Uncle! I'm home!" Naruto called out, to which Jiraiya fell down from his chair.

"Brat, how many times have I told you _not_ to call me that?" Jiraiya asked, exasperated.

"Hey, what can I say? If the sandal fits…" Naruto remarked with a toothy grin that reminded Jiraiya so much of Minato.

"Well anyway, I'm glad you're here, because I have something to tell you."

"I'm enrolling in the Academy early?" Naruto asked, getting excited.

"No." Jiraiya said, to which Naruto nearly lost his balance and fell.

"Oh, come on! Why not? I wanna start as quick as I can so I can show everyone what I'm really made of, dattebayo!"

"You'll start when the time is right, and that won't be until next year." Jiraiya said firmly. "So just take a deep breath and relax for a moment, please?"

Naruto sighed. "All right. What's up?"

"Well, seeing as how you still have a year before you can officially enroll in the Academy, I thought it might be a good idea if we go traveling outside Konoha and see the sights before you do."

"You mean…_outside_ Konoha?" Naruto asked, a grin spreading over his face and getting wider and wider.

"That's right." Jiraiya said. "And not just to places _I've_ been to, but even to the places out in the West."

For a few seconds Naruto didn't know what to say, but then he smiled widely and jumped into his godfather/surrogate uncle's arms.

"You're awesome, unc!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I know, I try to be." Jiraiya said good-naturedly.

"So when do we leave?"

"The day after tomorrow morning first thing. I already cleared it up with Sarutobi-sensei, so everything should be okay."

"All right! Well, better get my stuff ready then." Naruto said as he then made his way to his room.

"And try to put more than just Ramen-cups in your backpack, Naruto." Jiraiya called out.

"No promises, but I'll try!" Naruto called back.

_Please do._ Jiraiya thought as he then went to his own room and began to pack. As he was sorting through some paraphernalia he took notice of a book he had on the bed, which was a reprinted copy of his first book, "The Tale of The Incredibly Gutsy Shinobi".

In a way, Jiraiya couldn't help but be marveled at how even though the book didn't sell very well, it still had a place in some people's hearts, namely his late student, his sensei, Konoha Jonin Kakashi Hatake, and his own godson Naruto, all of whom loved the book.

_Maybe I should give it another shot and try to put it out there again. And this time, not just on _this_ side of the globe._ Jiraiya thought as he picked up the book and looked at it for a while before taking a scroll and sealing the story in it before placing it in his backpack. After that the Toad Sage then reached for a map that had a layout of the places he wanted both himself and Naruto to see. Now while some of those places involved visiting some of the other villages like Suna, Jiraiya made absolutely sure to avoid places like Otogakure (Hidden Sound Village) and Iwagakure (Hidden Rock Village), given that his former teammate-turned international criminal Orochimaru had been the one who founded the former village (according to his spy network) and was still ruling it; and in the latter village's case – while Jiraiya was certain that Iwa didn't know of Minato having a son, he still did _not_ want to take any chances that they could figure it out if they saw Naruto, so he arranged their travel routes to where his godson wouldn't be within ten miles of either place.

Then Jiraiya came to two distinct places on the map that he had circled years ago after The Third Shinobi World War ended. Both of the landmarks represented villages located in more mountainous regions and were away from the hidden ninja villages and the countries they were associated with. While both landmarks didn't seem like much, their names however, would make one in the ninja world think differently, for one landmark had the kanji that said, "Mugen Tenshin", and the other, "Hayabusa".

Although he had only ever been to those villages a few times in his life (and not just for "research"), Jiraiya knew of the two villages very well. Unlike Konoha, Suna, and the other hidden villages, the Mugen Tenshin and Hayabusa villages were different in their governing systems. For the Mugen Tenshin, they were ruled by a group of Master Shinobi, with the lower shinobi "troops" ranking from Greater to Lesser Shinobi. The Master governs the clan's activities both from within and without the village, and is regarded with respect by other clan members. In addition, the Mugen Tenshin are supported by a shadow sect known as the Hajin Mon sect, who act as guards/servants to the Master, and are regarded as the most skilled members of the clan.

The Hayabusa village operated the same way, although they didn't form as large of a tribe as the Mugen Tenshin did. Based on what Jiraiya knew of them, they are a clan of shinobi descended from an ancient lineage called the Dragon Lineage, a race of warriors who had sided with creatures known as Dragons against entities known as Evil Dieties, The Tribes, and The Dark Dragon (all of whom were also called Fiends). In addition, they were also guardians of very powerful artifacts such as the Dragon Sword, the Dark Dragon Blade and the Dragon's eye jewel and have charged their Dragon Shrine Maidens every generation with keeping said artifacts safeguarded and sealed.

_And with good reason._ Thought the Sannin. _If the Fiends or even Orochimaru were to get ahold of those artifacts, Kami only knows what kind of disaster would result._

_Given that Minato had helped both villages out during the Third Shinobi War and made allies there as a result (and more fan-girls to boot), I think I should pay them both a visit on Minato's behalf and try to keep that bond intact, even though Minato's no longer here. Plus both villages know who I am, so hopefully it shouldn't be any trouble._

After looking at the map some more, Jiraiya then put the map in his backpack before taking another look at his checklist to see what else he needed for his and Naruto's world trip.

BAM!

"Ow!"

Jiraiya then snapped out of his focus just in time to hear Naruto hit the wall of his room.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Naruto called out.

_I swear, at this point, I won't be surprised if it's Naruto's antics that give me a fatal heart attack instead of a topless busty woman!_ Jiraiya thought to himself as he ran his hand through his platinum-blonde hair before getting back to his checklist.

* * *

AN: Credit goes to Aragon Potter (author of "Hope of The Senju Clan" and "The Raikage") for some of the ideas here in this chapter, namely in regards to the chain earring on Naruto's ear (lol).


End file.
